The 185th meeting of the Central Board of Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) has decided to extend its coverage to all unorganised sector workers as envisaged in the Social Security Code.
The meeting also decided to constitute a “special committee” which will submit a detailed report on the basic facilities, which have to be set up and to decide the contributions and benefits of workers.
Sources indicated that nearly 1.5 crore unorganized sector workers will be brought under coverage as the first step. All employees will be linked with Aadhaar.
A meeting of all State Labour Ministers will be called to discuss the steps to be taken to improve the working of the ESI Scheme.
At the meeting, it was also decided to extend unemployment allowance under Atal Beemit Vyakti Kalyan Yojana up to June 30, 2022.
For claim of sickness benefits the eligibility criteria will be reduced from 78 days to 39 days of attendance in corresponding contribution period in the wake of Covid-19.
BMS representative in the Board V Radhakrishnan said the meeting also decided to extend ESI scheme to plantation sector.
Union Minister for Labour and Employment, Bhupender Yadav announced in the meeting the approval of five-acre land parcels for acquisition to set up new 100 bedded ESIC hospitals at Haroholli and Narsapur in Karnataka, seven new ESIC dispensaries for Kerala among other things.
The meeting also decided that wherever in-house facilities are not available in ESIC hospitals, patients would be referred to empaneled private medical service providers and wherever any ESI facility is at a distance of more than 10 kms from the insured person, patients can directly approach the empaneled hospitals for treatment.
